A sell-on clause makes the best of an impossible situation as Bobby Duncan joins Fiorentina.
Duncan has been at the centre of controversial accusations about Liverpool’s treatment on young players. No matter what the thoughts on that, it left the club in a difficult position.
He’s undeniably talented but also not ready for the first-team – a role he appears to want now. Fiorentina offer him a better opportunity than he has at Anfield, though, and he clearly wanted that.
Liverpool naturally had to consider selling, given the events. He is, after all, ‘only’ an academy player and it’s not worth having him around if he disrupts the atmosphere.
It would be another thing entirely if it were Roberto Firmino kicking up a fuss, but he’s nowhere near that level.
The problem is that Fiorentina hadn’t offered anything like his value. But now the Liverpool Echo claim that instead of an optional £1.6m fee, that amount is now guaranteed – as well as a 20% sell-on clause.
That clause makes the best of the impossible Duncan situation. Liverpool aren’t winning this one as Duncan has forced them to sell a player at less than his value.
But if he does end up being anything special, the Reds will get enough from that clause to cover the loss. Fiorentina are, at the end of the day, a selling club in Italy.
If Duncan develops, perhaps he can be sold for enough that Liverpool get roughly £6m-8m at a result. That would, eventually, give them the money they deserve for the player.
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